Ear plug



C. LEIGHT Au w, 1948.

EAR PLUG Filed March 10, 1945 Fig 5 I INVENTOR. fihqrles-Le PatentedAug. 10, 19 48 i Nil E D S TAT ES F F I C 2,446,707

EAR PLUG Charles Leight, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application March 10, 1945, Serial No. 582,081

3 Claims. I

This invention relates to sound absorbing de Vices, and particularly toan ear plug adapted to decrease or attenuate the amplitude of soundwaves reaching the ear drum of a person.

Ear drum protectors or ear plugs are wellknown in the art, prior devicesbeing constructed in many different forms and of difierent materialhaving sound absorbing or attenuating properties. The present ear plugis in accordance with the basic construction of my prior plug disclosedand claimed in my abandoned application, Serial No. 513,395,.filedDecember 8, 1943,.but is'an improvement' over this prior plug from thestandpoint of the means for manipulating the plug in and out of the earchan'neland from the standpoints of ventilation and pressureequalization.

Since ear plugs are worn by a" considerable number of people,particularly those working in noisy areas, it has become necessary todesign the plugs not only to have a high sound absorbing quality, butalso the plug should be formed in a manner so that it is quickly andeasily inserted in the ear passage and removed therefrom. When uesd byairplane pilots and passengers, the plugs should permit the equalizationof the air pressure between both ends thereof, especially during rapidchanges in altitude. It is also necessary that the interior of the plugbe ventilated. The present invention is directed to such a construction,which not only provides the maximum efiiciency in protecting the eardrum from extraneous noise, but also is constructed so as to be quicklyadjusted in the ear channel and removed therefrom when it becomesnecessary to remove the plug for short intervals during conversation.Many prior plugs have been provided with flanges or tabs, but theseelements either lie flush with the meatus of the ear or haveinsufficient rigidity to satisfactorily function as a handle.

The principal object of the invention, therefore, is to provide animproved ear plug for use by persons.

Another object of the invention is to facilitate the insertion andremoval of an ear plug from the ear channel.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved ear plugwhich provides satisfactory sound attenuation and which is quicklyadjustable and removable from the ear channel.

A further object of the invention is to provide 2 an ear plug with a tabwhich does not interfere with the function of the plug, while providingmeans for inserting: and removing the plug Withfacility.

A stillfurther object of theinvention is to'provide'imp'rovedventilation for an ear plug.

A still further object of the invention is toprovide an improved earplug which facilitates pressure equalization without destroying thesound'attenuation qualitiesof the plug.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic: ofthis invention will be pointed out. with particularity in the appendedclaims; themanner of its organization and the: mode'of its operationwill be betterunderstood by referring: to the? following drawings,forming.- a part hereof; in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of ear plug embodying theinvention.

Fig. 2 is a. perspective view of a second modification of the ear plugembodying the invention.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view partly in cross section of the ear plug shownin Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the ear plug of Figs. 1 and 3, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed view of the handle construction forinserting and removing the ear p ug.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the ear plug of this modification has acylindrical body portion 5 with a pointed tip and the enlarged,cylindrical body portion 6, the end of which has a tab or handle I madeup of a section 8 extending at right angles to the axis of the plug andto which is a grip portion 9 integral with section 8 and parallel withthe axis of the plug. The cylindrical portions of the plug have a shellor skin of thin flexible material, such as sheet rubber, the tip of theplug having breather or ventilating holes II and I2 therein (see Fig.3), which also function to equalize the pressure at both ends of theplug. The interiors of the tip portion 5 and of part of the enlargedportion 6 are filled with finely ground sponge rubber as shown at I4 inFig. 3. The end of the plug is closed with a stopper I5 of normal spongerubber, which is drilled with a ventilating passageway I 6, the hole I6cooperating with holes II and I2 to permit air to enter the interior ofthe plug. Since the hole It is in comparatively rigid material, whilethe skin and ground rubber portion of the plug is soft and resilient,the contracting and expanding bellows action passes air in and out ofholes II, l2, and I6 as the plug is inserted and removed from the ear.In this manner, the sponge rubber is kept fresh and pliable. Thepassages avoid the complete sealing of the inner ear channel from theouter air, thus permitting pressure equalization.

To the skin of the plug at the rear end is attached the handle I whichmay be molded with the skin. The handle sections 8 and 9 have athickness from two to three times that of the shell of the plug in orderto provide the rigidity necessary to permit manipulation of the plug.The section 8 connects to the cylindrical portion 6 over one-half of itscircumference to strengthen the connection, the section then narrowingdown to the width of the section 9. A tapered fillet I0 is providedalong the line of joinder between the section 8 and portion 6, so theplug may be pulled parallel with its axis without tearing,

This type of plug handle construction has been found to permit the userto grasp the grip portion 9, and, with the tip of his thumb abutting theface of the portion 8, the plug may readily be inserted into the earchannel. With the plug inserted in this manner, the section 8 will be incontact with the meatus of the upper part of the ear, while the section9 will extend outwardly where it may be quickly grasped when it isdesired to remove the plug from the ear. This construction providessuificient rigidity so that the plug is easily controlled solely bygrasping the handle which makes it unnecessary for the user to touch theportion of the plug which contacts the ear.

Referring now to Fig, 2, the plug shown therein differs from the plugshown in Fig. 1 by the use of a sectionalized flange 20 positionedmidway between the ends of the cylindrical body portion which is ofuniform diameter throughout its length, except for the tip. The interiorconstruction of the plug of Fig. 2 is identical with that of Fig. 1, asshown in Fig. 3, while the breather holes function in the same manner.It is also to be understood that this handle construction may be appliedto other types of ear plugs to improve their manipulation.

I claim as my invention:

1. An ear plug comprising a thin resilient skin of cylindrical shapehaving one end pointed and the other end open, a spongy resilient fillerwithin the major portion of said skin, a resilient plug for closing theend of said skin, and a handle having a section extending at rightangles to the axis of said plug and a second section attached to the endof said first section and extending parallel with said plug,

2. An ear plug in accordance with claim 1, in which said pointed end hasopenings therein and an opening is provided in said resilient plug.

3. An ear plug comprising a thin resilient skin of cylindrical shapehaving one end pointed and the other end open, openings in said pointedend, a finely divided resilient filler within the major portion of saidskin, and a more rigid resilient plug for the open end of said skin,said plug having an opening therein, contractions and expansions of saidskin passing air in and out of said openings to ventilate said filler.

CHARLES LEIGHT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

